title: Novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in esophageal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This article provides an overview of actual biomarkers with an impact on improvement of diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recent literature has been analyzed and provides information regarding the potential role of molecular markers as a diagnostic or prognostic factor in esophageal cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Until now, the role of molecular markers is far from being firmly established for routine use and is not without obstacles. However, with reliable standardized methods, established cut-off values and promising candidates in marker panels with markers of genetic, epigenetic and proteomic origin might result in a marker tool worthwhile of being validated in large, prospective, randomized trials. Novel validated marker combinations have to be clinically applied to prove their putative role in complementing clinical techniques within the development of better detection concepts of esophageal cancer, improving patients' long-term prognosis by early and purposive therapy within individualized treatment concepts.
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery , Kerpener Str. 62, Cologne, 50937 , Germany +49 221 4786273 ; +49 221 4785076 ; elfriede.bollschweiler@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Plum
authors.forename: Elfriede
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bollschweiler
authors.forename: Arnulf H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Hölscher
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Warnecke-Eberz
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor